Bimbolina
by Mistress Sarcasm
Summary: Gwen finds her arch rival in the palm of her hands - literally
1. Default Chapter

Title: Bimbolina  
Author: Mistress Sarcasm  
E-mail: mistress_sarcasm@hotmail.com  
Rating: PG-13  
Distribution: If you want to put my story on your site, feel free to ask :o)  
Feedback: Yes please!  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Passions characters, I am just borrowing them to do my bidding O;-)  
Summary: Gwen finds her arch rival in the palm of her hands - literally  
  
"I see trouble brewing in Harmony TimTim. Chaos and evil will reign supreme!" Tabitha Lenox cackled swooping her arms into the air dramatically, causing her brightly coloured bracelets to clink and whisper together in agreement. Timmy gazed up at his princess and rolled his eyes.   
  
"Tabby *always* says that..."  
  
"Oh hush dollface, I'm trying to see if I can dig up some naughty information on the good people of Harmony!" Tabitha propped her stuffed companion under her arm, and peered through the window of the Book Cafe. She raised an eyebrow as her eyes fell on a young couple laughing and kissing, blissfully ignorant to the batty old woman spying on them.  
  
"Ethan and Theresa are so sweet" Timmy cooed, a smile creasing his plump doll cheeks.  
  
"Stuff it batting for brains! There is nothing sweet about young love..." Tabitha spat as if the word love was some vile substance lingering on her tongue. "I see someone else who agrees with me..." They both watched as Gwen, sitting a few tables away, glared with icy contempt at the smoochy duo. She made a small gagging noise as the pair shared a rather sloppy and prolonged kiss goodbye. She crossed her arms, her hateful eyes fixed on Theresa. "If looks could kill TimTim, if looks could kill..."  
  
It took every bit of will power left in Gwen not to take a flying leep towards Theresa and strangle her. She had replayed the several vicious scenarios in her head in which she exacted her revenge, which ranged from tearing Theresa's thick hair out from her scalp to gouging those huge, bug-like eyes out with Theresa's own clumpy mascara wand. Her eyes narrowed into callous slits, she watched Theresa staring dreamily like a newborn fawn beaming at the world which catered to her every whim and need.  
  
"Enjoy your happiness now Theresita, because your pretty little fantasy world that you've built up for you and Ethan is as fragile as a house of cards, and soon it will come tumbling down around you. Your dreams will slip through your fingers just like that smile will slip from your face," Gwen whispered to herself. "I am going to get you right where I want you. You will be right in the palm of my hand, and I am going to crush you like the disgusting parasite you are..."  
  
Outside the window, the corners of Tabitha's mouth curled into a cruel smile. Timmy arched an eyebrow and his eyes widened. "Timmy know that gleam in Tabby's eyes. Tabby is up to something..."  
  
"Well dollface, from her lips to *my* ears. I think I might just help Miss Gwennie's plan along, Her little speech gave me quite the ideas..."  
  
"What *kind* of ideas?"  
  
"Deliciously evil ideas. Let's just say she inspired me..." Tabitha cackled spinning Timmy around in a circle, the fringe on her jacket dancing along in equal delight. She tossed Timmy in the air and caught him with glee. "I am going to help Gwen destroy Theresa!"  
  
Timmy clung to Tabitha's patchwork vest and groaned. "Timmy thinks he is going to be sick."  
  
"Oh please Timmy! I know you harbor some affection for the good people of Harmony, but this has really gone to far..."  
  
"No, no, Timmy really does feel sick from all that spinning. Timmy thinks he might throw up! Timmy thinks he needs a Martimmy..." he grumbled, slapping a gloved hand in front of his mouth.  
  
"You can't throw up, you havn't got a stomach! Now suck it up dollboy" Tabitha laughed, patting her precocious doll on the chest. "Now then back to business..." she mumbled rummaging through her jacket until she plucked a glass vial containing pink liquid. "This Timmy, is going to help Gwen's dream come true. Come on then, let's get to work..." She scooped Timmy up in her arms and with a jingle of the door chimes, stepped inside the Book Cafe.  
  
Gwen was still staring daggers at Theresa, who was idly running her finger along the edge of her coffee cup.  
  
"She wouldn't be smiling if that boiling hot coffee fell into her lap and ruined that frilly pink dress" Gwen hissed through clenched teeth. Timmy fell into doll mode as Tabitha took a seat at the table behind Theresa. She had a wicked grin plastered across her face, and a glint of mayhem in her eyes. "What is Tabby planning now?"  
  
"I told you Timmy, I am going to help Gwen get her wish..."  
  
"What wish was that?" Timmy mouthed to himself as Tabitha slid her chair over to Theresa.  
  
"Why hello dear, how are you?" Tabitha chirped faking a sweet and kindly grin.  
  
"Oh I'm just fine Tabitha!" Theresa giggled baring a large, toothy grin. She batted her eyelashes that framed her liquidy eyes. They seemed to Tabitha reminiscent of that annoying deer Bambi staring stupidly at a hunter, ignorant to the fact that it was about to have it's head blown off. Resisting the urge to projectile vomit at Theresa's cartoon-like appearance, Tabitha continued with her sweet little old lady charade.  
  
"I just saw you with Ethan, you two make a lovely couple..." As Tabitha continued chatting with Theresa, Timmy spied that while Theresa was distracted by the conversation, Tabby was carefully emptying the contents of the vial into Theresa's coffee cup.   
  
"Well Tabitha it was nice talking with you, but I am afraid I have to go" Theresa said happily.  
  
"Nice chatting with you to dear..." Tabitha replied, the devilish smirk returning when Theresa's back was turned. Tabitha watched with amusement as Gwen barged out the door after Theresa. Timmy glared suspiciously at his princess as they approched the door.  
  
"I smell trouble Timmy! That and the smell of sweet success!"  
  
"Really? Timmy smells cookies..." he said sniffing the aroma. Tabitha sighed at her naive creation before quickening her steps to follow Gwen and Theresa to the wharf.  
  
"A dream is a wish your heart makes" Tabitha hummed in satisfaction. Timmy gave his patented eye roll and heavy sigh as they peered around the corner at Gwen and Theresa.  
  
"What are they talking about? Timmy can't hear them!" He whined anxiously.  
  
"Well neither can I with all your yammering!" Tabby snapped in return. "It won't be long now..."  
  
Just as Gwen was approaching Theresa, the doe-eyed dreamer flipped open the tab on her cup and took a long sip. Tabitha's eyes flashed with fiendish delight as the young girl coughed and sputtered.  
  
"Theresa, are you alright?" Gwen asked, frankly shocked at her own concern. A strange pink glow was emanating around Theresa and throbbed like a strobe light. "A little too much pink lipgloss eh Theresa?" Gwen said with a laugh, but she was really quite unnerved. Suddenly, the pale shimmer exploded into a bright flash, knocking Gwen to the ground.  
  
"What happened, what happened?" Timy cried unshielding his eyes and peering up at Tabitha mystified.  
  
"Like I said Timmy, Gwen got exactly what she wished for. For her arch rival to be right in the palm of her hand..." Tabitha whispered winking and nodding towards the spot where the two women once stood.  
  
Gwen moaned and pried herself to her feet. Brushing off her dress she stared around, looking for Theresa. Her expression was a mixture of utter disbelief and pure joy as her blue-green orbs beheld a sight that both baffled and delighted her. Theresa was standing exactly where she was before, and looked very much the same except for one small detail. One *exceptionally* small detail. The fact of the matter was, one could say that the exceptionally small detail was Theresa herself, for she had been reduced quite a bit in size until she was no bigger than a field mouse...  
  
To be continued  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

Gwen blinked and stared mystified at the tiny specimen that stood before her.  
  
"Oh Timmy this turned out better than I expected!" Tabitha whispered excitedly in her doll's ear. Timmy just clapped a gloved hand over his gaping mouth. "You are no fun TimTim!" Tabby laughed faking a hurt expression.  
  
"T-tabby s-shrunk Theresa!" Timmy gasped finally.  
  
"Yes, a nifty little potion isn't it?" Tabitha smirked twirling the empty vial between her fingers. "Come on dollface, let's go back home and get you that nice pitcher of Martimmies. We can check on these two ladies later..."  
  
The two departed, leaving the still stunned Gwen staring down at the pint-sized Theresa. There was a brief moment of complete silence, but then Theresa parted her lips to emit an ear piercing shriek. Gwen covered her ears and looked around, half expecting people to come running at what sounded like the wail of a mouse whose tail was caught under a cat's claw. The wails were interspersed with choking sobs, and exasperated Gwen knelt down in front of the crying creature.  
  
"Can it TinkerTramp!" she snapped, removing a silk hankerchief from the pocket of her jacket. She pinched Theresa's head between her fingers, wrapped the squirming girl in the hankerchief and dropped Theresa into her leather Gucci purse. Theresa's continuing squeals of terror were muffled by the sliding of a zipper. Gwen strode confidently back to her penthouse apartment, occasionally coughing nervously as to not arouse the suspicions of strangers who might inquire as to why her bag was screaming. After clattering up the stairs and slamming her apartment door behind her, Gwen carelessly tossed her bag onto her marble countertop. It was only the tiny squeal that reminded of her newest acquisition. Gwen unzipped the bag and removed the hankerchief containing the miniature version of her arch rival. Theresa unrolled from the hankerchief like Cleopatra in her famous entrance, unravelling herself from a carpet at the feet of Julius Caesar. Her entrance was not *quite* as graceful, and instead of finding herself in a palace at the foot of an emperor, she was on Gwen's hard, marble countertop. Gwen lifted the hankerchief, then promptly threw it away upon the discovery that it had been completely soaked through with tears. She looked down at the tiny figure with her head buried in her arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Gwen almost pitied the poor creature. Almost. Theresa then managed to form whole words between gasping sobs and cried "Ethan!"  
  
"Ethan?" Gwen exclaimed, "You're the size of a rodent and all you can think about is Ethan?"  
  
"How are we supposed to get married if I look like *this*?" she sniffled in return.  
  
"Well, maybe you can be the bride on top of the wedding cake. A plastic groom for a plastic bride..." Gwen sniggered.  
  
Theresa collapsed in a fresh wave of tears. Gwen no longer felt sorry for her, she felt incredibly annoyed. She should have left her there on the wharf, maybe a wave would have come and swept her away, the ocean currents dragging her far off to sea. Instead, the girl she loathed most in the world was sitting on *her* countertop. Just sitting there sobbing, completely helpless and vulnerable. Helpless and vulnerable...Gwen thought about this while looking around at various objects in her apartment.  
  
Butcher knife...  
  
Toaster...  
  
Boiling water...  
  
Spiked stiletto heeled shoe...  
  
Oh a chesse grater... Now *that* could be interesting...  
  
Gwen shook her head as if those diabolical thoughts could have poured out her ears and been vanquished forever. When she regained her senses, Theresa was still sitting with her arms folded across her chest, her bottom lip jutted out in a mournful pout. Gwen chose to ignore her and flopped down on the couch to watch TV. She had a few brief minutes of peace and quiet, until her serenity was shattered by un unearthly cry.  
  
"GWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN-N-N!" came the tiny shriek from across the room. Gwen shuffled over to find her purse open, it's contents scattered across the countertop. Her designer perfume flowed in a gentle stream and dripped onto the Mexican tiled floors. The dark haired girl sat a few inches away from the scented puddle, her two legs jutting out on either side of a tube of ruby red lipstick. She slowly rose to her feet revealing her face covered with face powder and smeared with said lipstick. Feigning complete innocence she whispered "I wanna watch TV too..."  
  
Gwen grimaced, this was just like babysitting a toddler. She snatched Theresa by the foot and swept over to the couch. She tossed Theresa rather roughly, sending the small girl flying and sinking head first into the soft leather. A few muffle groans later Theresa was next to Gwen. She grabbed for the remote and started to madly push buttons.  
  
"Wha the hell do you think you are doing Parasita?"  
  
"Fashion Television is on. They are showing the newest Hot Culture collections from Madrid and Esparagus!" Theresa squealed.  
  
"It's Haute Couture and it is showing from Milan and Paris..." Gwen retorted.  
  
"But isn't there a city that is a vegetable?" Theresa inquired, batting her wispy eyelashes naively.  
  
"That is Brussells you halfwit, and it's in Belgium. They arn't very famous for their fashion designers..."  
  
"But they have good waffles! Oh and chocolate!"  
  
Gwen made a big show of rolling her eyes dramatically. "Besides, what do you want to watch the collections for?"  
  
"I want to be a fashion designer! It's always been my dream..."  
  
"Oh really?" Gwen interjected, "I always thought your dream was to marry *my* ex-fiancee."  
  
Gwen's cheeks grew scarlet with fury and Theresa's squirmed sheepishly. "Well, I still want to watch it..."  
  
"Maybe we should watch it, it could give you some fashion sense. Been snooping through Britney Spears' dumpster laterly?"  
  
Gwen wore a satisfied smirk as Theresa scrunched her forehead in annoyance. But, she maintained an aura of calm. "Whatever, I just want to watch something else. Your show is boring..." She made a face at the numbers whizzing past on the screen while a man in a stiff business suit droned on about the NASDAQ plummeting 6%.  
  
"Well Theresa, this is what grownups watch. We can't all be braiding our hair while watching Teletubbies with our girlfriends, giggling about whether or not Johnny will call tonight..."  
  
Theresa fingered the plait that weaved it's way down the length of her black tresses and the tendrils framing her face. "Well, I'm going to watch something else..."  
  
Like Mighty Mouse on a mission, she snatched the remote from Gwen's lap and began flicking the channels. Gwen in turn attemped to retrieve it. But, for her current size Theresa still had a exceptionally strong grip. The television crackled and flashed a myriad of images, chanting along at the two women and their mini tug-of-war. With determination frozen in her gaze Gwen was finally able to gain the upper hand and the remote was released into her grasp. Not able to accept defeat, Theresa leaped onto Gwen's arm and seized her hand. Theresa's jaw clamped onto Gwen's index finger, her tiny teeth latching on to the delicate skin. Gwen howled in pain and waved her hand fervently in the air, frantically trying to free her finger from Theresa's clenched teeth. Theresa's tiny body flopped back and forth with Gwen's fierce movements. Finally, the prisoner finger was released from it's captor. Gwen jammed her finger into her mouth and nursed the wounded digit. She watched as Theresa soared through the air and smashed against the wall, and like a recently swatted fly slid downwards and slumped against the floor.  
  
"Oh shit..." Gwen muttered around her finger.  



	3. Chapter 3

"Gweeeeeeeeen-n-n-n, my head's all cold and wet..."  
  
Gwen sighed heavily and gently massaged her temples. It was like Fran Drescher was living in her ear. She glanced over from her book at Theresa lying motionless on the countertop. Well, motionless except for her flapping mouth. She lay face down, her head resting on an ice cube.  
  
"My pillow's melting..." Theresa continued to moan.  
  
"You're lucky you didn't break anything" Gwen mused.  
  
Theresa wrinkled her nose and her lip quivered slightly as she rose to her feet. She gingerly rubbed her head and whimpered as she fingered her tattered clothing.  
  
"Gwen, this dress is ruined, can you..."  
  
"What? Let you borrow one of mine? I don't think any of my clothes are *quite* your size... unless you want to wear a rolled up sock." Gwen was becoming quite pleased with herself and her witty retorts.  
  
Theresa was not quite so amused. "Well, what I am I supposed to wear? This dress is ruined..."  
  
Gwen got up from her chair and slipped into the kitchen. She returned with a pair of scissors and a paper bag. Like Martha Stewart working on some fabulous project, she happily snipped three holes in the bag and tossed her creation in front of Theresa.  
  
"There, a beautiful ball gown for the Paper Bag Princess."  
  
Theresa lifted the bad like it was contaminated, then jutted it to the side.  
  
"Oh what's the matter your majesty? Not your colour?" Gwen said in a mocking baby voice.  
  
Theresa's chin quivered and she sat down hunched over with her arms crossed across her chest. Gwen laughed brightly and returned to her reading when the tiny thump of a tiny foot sheathed in a tiny pink platform shoe beckoned her back.  
  
"Take me shopping" she said indignantly, her nose raised high in the air, "Or I'll scream."  
  
This really was like raising a child. Gwen slipped on her jacket, scooped up Theresa in her palm, deposited the little minion in her purse, and ventured out into the streets of Harmony. Gwen would stop to browse, and Theresa's head would promptly pop up on cue. Finally, after an arduous journey along the boardwalk, Theresa giddily pointed to a dress she liked. Gwen raised an eyebrow curiously, then realised that Theresa's choice was practical, if not odd. She stepped into the store and brought her items to the cashier.  
  
"Miss? You want to buy Totally Hair Barbie?" the young girl at the cash asked snapping her gum, her eyes showing a slight bit of concern for Gwen's sanity.  
  
Gwen cleared her throat and confidently stated "Yes, it's..umm... for my niece.." Or maybe it wasn't so confidently...  
  
"Oh of course.." the girl mumble slipping the box into the plastic bag.  
  
"Shoes!" came a tiny squeak from Gwen's purse.  
  
The girl's bubble grew larger and larger and she stared in disbelief at the talking bag. The bubble finally snapped as she dropped the coins she was holding.  
  
"Shoes, yes... no outfit is complete without shoes!" Gwen laughed nervously, trying to imitate the high pitched voice.  
  
The girl smiled and nodded her head. She reached over to pick up a pair of Barbie shoes. Her movements were slow and precise, as if Gwen was holding a gun to her head. She handed Gwen her merchandise and change, and Gwen managed to mutter a hurried 'Thank You' before rushing out the door. Cursing under her breath, she sat down exhausted on a bench in Lighthouse Park. Theresa poked her head out and began riffling through the shopping bag. She retrieved her new frock and happily held it in front of her. She admired the frilly pink trim on the hem, and the sequins that lined the bodice.  
  
"Gwen, what do you think?"  
  
"Charming, simply charming.." is all Gwen could muster as she closed her eyes and felt her forehead with the back of her hand.  
  
"Be careful what you wish for Gwennie, you might just get it..." Tabitha chortled. She propped her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her hands, she gazed merrily into her scrying bowl. She grasped the stem of her Martimmy glass, swished the bright liquid around, and took a satisfied sip. "Why so melancholy lad?"  
  
Timmy's eyes drooped slightly at the corners, his mouth curled into a sad curve. "Timmy feels bad for Theresa, and Gwen. They both seem so unhappy."  
  
"Oh hush Timmy, this worrywart act of yours is getting tiresome. Let's just enjoy these misadventures while we can! It's like a bloody soap opera!"  
  
"Soap operas are dumb" Timmy murmured, "so much pain and suffering..."  
  
"But that's the best part! All the agony, the drama, the horrible wardrobes... if only real life were that interesting. This is one of those rare instances where it is. Let's take a peek at what's happening now..."  
  
Theresa was still cheerfully modelling her new outfit when Timmy and Tabby looked upon the scene once more.  
  
"Why am I doing this?" Gwen thought to herself, "I hate her. I *hate* her more than anything, and now I am *helping* her. You've gone soft Gwen. Soft and squishy like JELL-O. Perhaps a little wiggly...arrrgh stupid metaphors... or similes... stupid poetic devices in general..."  
  
Gwen's inner monologue blocked her from hearing Theresa's impatient squeakes. "Can we *please* go now?" she groaned like a whiny child.  
  
Gwen took in a deep breath and sighed, once again wondering exactly why she was helping this loathsome creature.  
  
Their shopping excursion lasted for a few more hours, with Theresa's head bobbing in and out of Gwen's bag to take a peek at the store windows. They passed yet another glass pane when something metallic caught Gwen's eye.  
  
A cage.  
  
She was standing in front of a pet store, looking at the display case. They were having a sale. On cages. Her eyebrow snapped up in a mischievious arc. She admired a hamster cage, it's metallic fram glistening in the sunlight. She could picture Theresa in that cage, nibbling on nuggets of hamster food, sipping water from the water bottle, and sleeping on the wood chips. Her favourite image that she conjured up was that of Theresa running feverishly on the exercise wheel, her front teeth like two white chicklets sticking out from her upper lip. Theresa did resemble a hamster, Gwen reasoned, with her beady little eyes and contorted facial expressions. She placed a polished finger on the glass as cheerful thoughts of a hamster Theresa danced in her head.  
  
She was snatched cruelly from her reverie by a light tap on her shoulder.  
  
"Gwen, what are you doing?" came a warm yet concerned voice behind her.  
  
"Ethan..."  
  



	4. Chapter 4

"Ethan..."  
  
His name dangled on the tip of her tongue before slipping off into deafening silence. She stood with her mouth ajar, digging her nails into the palms of her hands while her knuckles turned white.  
  
"Gwen... earth to Gwen..." Ethan said, snapping his finger in Gwen's face, his voice tinged with amusement.  
  
"Oh great, now he thinks I'm insane..." Gwen thought to herself, "But then again he seems to go for the whacko girls lately. Come on Gwen, snap out of it. Come on... form words.. say *something*..."  
  
"Ethan..." she found herself repeating.  
  
"Yes, I believe we established that already. Gwen, are you alright? You look pale ..."  
  
Ethan stood casually with his hands in the pockets of his rumpled khakis, his sandy blond hair toussled, his mouth spread in a wide grin. Gwen noted that he had rather large teeth, just like Theresa. They had a matching set, no wonder...  
  
A sudden squeal fom her purse made Gwen jump in surprise. "What was that?" Ethan said, panic overtaking his features.  
  
"That's...well its... you see..." Gwen faltered, trying to come up with a plausible explanation for why her bag suddenly gained vocal chords. At that opportune moment, the bag began to rustle and squeak again.  
  
"Gwen, I know exactly what you were going to say..."  
  
"No Ethan! I am quite positive you have no idea in *hell* what I was about to say" she snapped.  
  
Ethan stood aghast at Gwen's sudden outburst. Gwen cleared her throat and tried her best to smile sweetly.  
  
"What I was about to say was... I bought a hamster."  
  
Ethan looked at her like she had just told him she had all five Backstreet Boys stashed in her handbag. "A hamster... in your purse."  
  
"Yes! Yes... I was... lonely and I wanted something to take care of, something to keep me company" she said sheepishly, "so I bought a pet. Then I realized it was silly to keep a hamster in my purse. So, I came back to get a cage..." she gestured towards the display case.  
  
"Ah well that makes perfect sense!" Ethan declared, his playful smile returning. Gwen was amazed he bought such an outlandish lie. "Can I see it?" he then asked.  
  
Gwen backed away and placed a hand over her purse protectively. "Its... umm.. shy and...ugly... and it might bite you..." she pleaded.  
  
Around the corner, two familiar figures took in the scene.  
  
"Ahh yes Timmy, I knew it was a good idea to come and have front row seats to all the action. All we need is popcorn" Tabitha trilled, winking at her companion.  
  
"What's going to happen now princess?"  
  
"With any luck, Theresa will become roadkill..." Tabitha snorted in fiendish delight. "Her and her loverboy..."  
  
"And her loverboy.. what does Tabby mean? What is Tabby going to do?"  
  
"You'll see TimTim, all in good time..." Tabitha chuckled darkly, "The final act of our little scene is drawing near, and by the time curtain falls nothing will ever be the same..."  
  
Timmy scrunched his stuffed forehead in confusion and turned his attention back to Ethan and Gwen. He noticed Ethan was holding something in his hand... a coffee cup from the Book Cafe.  
  
"Princess no, not again!" Timmy cried, but it was too late, and the flash of blinding pink light returned.  
  
"I noticed Ethan coming over this way, so I slipped him a little something. It seemed a shame to waste the remnants of a perfectly good potion..." Tabitha laughed. "Ken and Barbie together again. Come on Timmy, there is another pitcher of Martimmies at home waiting for us..."  
  
Gwen couldn't believe her eyes. Not again, it couldn't be. Not *again*. She looked down in horror at Ethan standing on the sidewalk, his spilt coffee spreading out around him. She bit her lip nervously, then without hesitation she snatched him up in her palm and scurried around the corner into an allyway.  
  
"Oh Ethan, I am so sorry..." she sighed patting Ethan on the head. Ethan looked around dumbfounded, then stared directly at Gwen and screamed. Gwen placed her finger across her lips as she tried to calm him down.  
  
"Why do these things *always* happen to me?" she grunted.  
  
To her surprise, Theresa's raven haired head peaked out from the top of her bag.  
  
"Oh Ethan, it must be fate! You were destined to become small so we could be together! I knew nothing could tear us apart!" she screeched climbing out of the bag and leaping into Ethan's outstreched arms. The force of impact caused both of them to fall backwards off Gwen's hand and onto the concrete. Despite their heavy fall, their lips seemed to be uninjured as they proceeded to lay kisses all over each other. Gwen groaned clutching her stomach, urging the bile in her throat to retreat. It was like watching two rodents go at it on the Discovery Channel. Disgusted, Gwen plucked them apart and placed them opposite each other on each of her palms.  
  
"Now you two, I don't know what the hell happened, but there has to be a way to fix th-"  
  
She halted, noticing the two weren't even paying attention. Instead, they were making faces and what seemed like animal noises at each other.  
  
"Excuse me!" she snapped, "I suppose your brains shrunk with your bodies,not that they were very functional to begin with! In case you two didn't notice, let me make it clear for you. You... are... shrunk!" Gwen sighed heavily, once again it felt like she was scolding children.  
  
Theresa jutted her chin in the air, a huge grin plastered across her face. "As long as we are together, nothing else matters..." She glanced at Ethan lovingly, like a puppy looking obediantly at it's master waiting for his next command.  
  
"Theresa's right, nothing can get in the way of our love..." Ethan replied with an equally sappy expression.  
  
Gwen simply couldn't believe the idiocy of their logic. Not just from Theresa, she expected warped logic from her. But from Ethan... This is who she fought for, longed for... The urge to smash her hands together, *really* making two become one was almost to hard to resist.   
  
She suddenly retained an air of eery calm. Her face was serene and it seemed as if her glow came from a brilliant lightbulb that had suddenly appeared above her head. She had an idea.   
  
"Ethan, Theresa... I have a fabulous idea that will allow you two to *definetly* be together forever, and also takes advantage of you current vertical impairment."  
  
Both lovebirds smiled at each other, neither one noting the sinister tone in Gwen's voice. She wandered down the allyway, rummaging through some stray boxes, and retrieved a worn shoebox. She tossed the two inside and plucked a pen from her purse to poke in air holes. She hoisted the box and whispered "Don't make a noise you two, we are going to fix things and make things right. Don't talk until I tell you to..."  
  
With that she set off with the shoebox tucked neatly under her arm. While obeying her orders not to talk, Gwen could still detect sucking noises coming from the box. She finally came upon her destination. She stood in front of a small, colonial home. An elderly lady sat behind a table on the porch, a small doll perched beside her. Light ash blonde curls framed her slightly creased face and she gave Gwen a kindly smile. Gwen slid the box on the table and the woman nodded in approval.  
  
"Thank you Miss Hotchkiss. I am sure the children of India will be very happy to receive your donation" the woman said.  
  
"Oh no problem Mrs. Baker. I always have considered myself a rather generous person" Gwen replied, the radiant smile not leaving her face. She turned on her heel and left, taking a moment to look at the large white banner hanging from the roof that read "Used Toy Collection".  
  
"Nice girl that Gwen Hotchkiss, " Mrs. Baker sighed placing the shoebox along side all the other toys in a large cardboard box.  



	5. Epilogue

The sun beat down on the tiny village, the humidity causing the horizon line to blur. The air was pungent and wreaked of rotting fish and other foul stenches. Villagers wandered towards the centre of the village on their weary legs, their limbs raw from their labours. This did not deminish the excitement in the air. Mothers clutched fervently to their children, trying to keep them calm. The excited villagers stood in silence, shielding their eyes from the sun's rays and the dust being kicked up by the landing helicopter. After the helicopter took off into the blue sky, a little girl rushed home to her hut, grasping a box under her skinny arm. She flopped down on the dirt floor, clutching her now prized possesion to her chest. She wiped the dirt off the lid in a mad rush to reveal her new toy. Carefully unwinding the twine that held the lid in place, she placed her nimble fingers around the edge of the lid and carefully lifted it up...  
  
Villagers looked up from their tasks when a sudden piercing scream, combined with two other fainter shrieks rang out throughout the entire village... 


End file.
